


One and the other

by pxnky



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Listen I only know how to write fluff, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22315924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pxnky/pseuds/pxnky
Summary: Raihan has already halfway accepted that his relationship with the Champion title is a lost cause.His relationship with the Champion himself, though, is entirely different.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Comments: 5
Kudos: 200





	One and the other

Raihan has already halfway accepted that his relationship with the Champion title is a little less than impossible. He’s tried to win it, win against Leon, so many times that he doesn’t have enough fingers in hands and feet to count them.

It’s not that important, though. He lost count after attempt number twenty anyway.

It was after the tenth attempt, when he was eighteen years old, that Raihan reached a conclusion. If he couldn’t have the Champion title, then he’d have the Champion himself. Yes, Leon, his childhood friend and the one for whom he’s being feeling some strange things for a year or so now. In his mind clouded by alcohol at the moment, it made sense, even though the next day, with a glass of water and an aspirin in hand he questioned if it would really work out the way he wanted.

It’s good that Raihan is a lover of risk and has little to no shame.

He spent a few months dropping hints at Leon. And he has to admit he thought about giving up more than once because, either out of shame or because he’s really that obtuse, the unbeatable Champion of Galar didn’t seem to catch the drift.

The flowers Raihan sent to his house? Turns out he forgot to sign the note that went along with them, and Leon, very convinced that the delivery man had the wrong direction, gave them to Sonia.

The compliments? Leon always answered them with a nervous laughter and saying something along the lines of ‘You’re a good friend’.

And that time he directly asked him for a date (Okay, he didn’t say the word, instead called it a ‘friendly hangout’, but it was still implied, right? Raihan was subtle enough to do that, thank you)? Well, Leon had an important meeting with Oleana and Rose the next day and he had to reject the offer. Raihan couldn’t find any courage to ask to hang out another day. And it’s ridiculous that someone like him, that spent so much time claiming his rivalry with the Champion to anyone and everyone, couldn’t look at that same man he called his rival in the eye and tell him ‘Hey, I like you, you wanna go on a date some day?’.

Looks are deceiving, and Raihan is the prime example of that.

He has to be grateful that Gordie is just as hopeless with love as he is. After all, it was him the one who helped Raihan with Leon in exchange of help. Help with Milo, and the leader of Hammerlocke happily gave it to him.

Their plan worked out better than Sonia had bet it would, and now she owed Nessa ten Pokedollars because of that. Raihan ensured Leon that they would only go to make sure Gordie didn’t mess up his date with Milo and that, after they had eaten, they would go away to give them some alone time. Leon accepted, and that same night they took a Flying Taxi to Hulbury. They had dinner in a restaurant next to the sea, and between the main dish and dessert, Raihan and Leon excused themselves alleging they were full and that their stomachs couldn’t even fit a crumb of the chocolate mousse.

Lies. Raihan always has space in his stomach for dessert, but that time he made an exception.

They got out of the restaurant, and as soon as they crossed the door, Leon commented something about not wanting to go home. It was barely nine, and Raihan understood. He didn’t want to either.

He doesn’t know in which moment they ended up in the port, with their bare feet underwater and splashing each other like little kids. Leon got his hands wet just to dry them on Raihan’s hoodie, and Raihan had revenge by stealing the Champion’s cap and immersing it in the water before putting it back in his head.

And, before they realized, they were laughing. Laughing so loudly and with no filter, like they only do when they’re alone.

And in that moment, Raihan put his hand over Leon’s as discreetly as he could.

They spent a few hours like that, until midnight came. Leon announced that he had to go home and Raihan went along with him to Postwick because yeah, Leon might be the Champion, but he’s still a dumbass when it comes to directions. None of them suggested the idea of the Flying Taxi. They walked the whole way back to Postwick instead.

And, while they walked, they kept joking and laughing.

In a certain moment, Leon asked him how he thought Gordie was doing with Milo. Raihan, without thinking too much, answered:

“I hope they’re doing as good as we are”

And Leon didn’t recriminate (He never does). He just took his hand and smiled in that way Raihan loves so much. No teeth showing, his cheekbones lifting in a way that his eyes are barely visible, and a giggle escaping from the back of his throat.

Raihan felt his hands sweating and it was clear that Leon noticed it too.

“I sure hope so!” Was the Champion’s answer.

When they finally arrived to Leon’s house, he was still laughing. The reason was that crossing the Wild Area can be one hell of an adventure, and that time it sure was. Raihan loves Dragon Types more than anything in this world, but he doesn’t want to be chased by a Haxorus ever again. He values his physical and mental wellbeing that much, thank you.

The leader of Hammerlocke said goodbye thinking that things hadn’t gone that bad when his thoughts were interrupted. Leon grabbed him by the back of the neck, stood on his tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

“You’re not as subtle as you think you are, Rai”

Raihan didn’t check his phone in the whole way to Hammerlocke. He barely even told the Corviknight from the Flying Taxi where to take him, because there was no way he was going to cross the Wild Area again after everything that had happened. When he finally arrived home, still asking himself what had happened, he threw himself in his bed.

His phone vibrated for the tenth time inside his hoodie’s pocket, and Raihan felt forced to see who was it.

Four of the messages were from Gordie, and Raihan would’ve read them if it wasn’t because he had messages from another person too.

Leon.

In the first message he thanked him for the night, telling him how much fun he had had and that he wanted information about Milo and Gordie’s date and its income. Normal stuff, Raihan thought.

The second, however, was a picture. A screenshot to be more exact. Raihan opened the message out of curiosity.

The picture showed the chat between them, seen from Leon’s phone’s perspective. Raihan didn’t understand what Leon wanted him to see in that photo, until he saw the name that Leon had used to save his contact on his phone.

“ _Rai”_ along with a lot of heart emojis. Leon has always used so many emojis while texting, and Raihan thinks it’s adorable.

The third and fourth message arrived while Raihan is still connecting the dots. Those read “By the way, I love you too” and “And before you ask, yes, I want to be your boyfriend”.

One, two, three seconds passed until an incredibly big smile made its way to Raihan’s face. He dropped the phone on his mattress and muffled the scream that came out of his mouth with the pillow. After that, he typed an answer as fast as he could.

“ _Goddamnit Lee, I’m so fucking in love with you”_

Needless to say, the next day he went to Postwick again (Arceus bless Flying Taxis) and showed at the Champion’s door with an Applin in hand, because Raihan is a man that does things properly and because Leon deserves to be asked out nicely, deserves this and so much more.

Yeah, maybe he hasn’t gotten the Champion title yet and maybe he’ll never get it. Raihan has already halfway accepted that that relationship is never going to go anywhere. But his relationship with the Champion himself? That’s a whole different issue.

  
  



End file.
